Rochus Mommartz on CNN Money Switzerland

In this interview with CNN Money Switzerland’s Martina Fuchs aired on 21 February, 2019 responsAbility CEO Rochus Mommartz explains why impact investors will be plugging into renewable energy and where he sees the biggest growth potential for impact investing.

Impact investing is often confused with philanthropy, says Rochus Mommartz, CEO of responsAbility Investments. But now finding ways to help our planet and make money is big business, and renewable energy will be among the burgeoning sectors in 2019.

“It is very positive. There are more and more investors that understand that this is a good opportunity and that there is an increasing need for these investments. There has never been a moment where so much wealth has passed from one generation to the next. The younger generation think differently about these topics, creating a strong wave.”

“When markets develop, more and more players jump on a certain topic. The big divide is the following: If you invest in listed instruments, you invest in what’s already out there. We invest in private debt and private equity. These are assets that are actually created. This is the huge difference.”

Which investment solutions are the most impactful when it comes to climate change?

“There are 500 m people in Sub-Saharan Africa who are not even connected to a grid. If all of them were to get access to non-renewable electricity, the problem of climate change would increase. To be impactful we need to create access to electricity through renewable sources.”